It is Thanksgiving week and it is a time to think about what you are grateful for. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank some special organizations who are helping the truly helpless–animals. For them I am deeply grateful. I love the opening quote from Mr. Rogers which are words from his mother he found comforting and reassuring. She essentially said “When things are scary, look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”

For me, there is something very special about people dedicating their lives to saving and rescuing animals. The fact that there are so many new animal sanctuaries launching around the country tells you that goodness is rising. More importantly, compassion and empathy are rising. If we can have empathy for another species different from us (yet most are sentient beings just like us) we are on our way to a more evolved and kind world.

I follow a few of these special animal sanctuaries on social channels like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and I thought I would encourage you to do the same. You will find links below…

Please have a look–what is the worst thing that could happen? You end up giving up turkey on Thanksgiving? Once you begin to follow, you will see farm animals as the real sentient beings they are, and your heart may break open. It will hurt at first, because you will now be aware of the great suffering the animals have endured before they were rescued. After you allow yourself to feel, you will become elated. Yes elated– because you will realize there are wonderful passioneers dedicating their lives to helping these helpless animals and also creating safe sanctuaries for them. After the elation, you then will feel pure joy, because you will discover that these animals are not only forgiving of humans but truly show great love and affection for their caretakers who rescued them. All of this will remind you that OUR SPECIES, can be incredibly kind, good and compassionate, and the animals we share this beautiful planet with are equally awesome.

So when things look scary in the world, look for the helpers and take a look at these sanctuary organizations. Then look into these animals eyes, and you will soon feel heartened that goodness and kindness is all around you. I’m not here to tell you to not eat the turkey, only you can make that value driven decision. But I am here to remind you, that there are truly wonderful compassionate people out there, saving turkeys, pigs, horses, cows, goats, and yes, cats and dogs. One animal at a time, they make up for all the ugliness in the world, and remind us of our better human nature. For this I am truly grateful, and I extend a world of thanks to these special people on behalf of my fellow humans. Have a look and follow their social pages. I promise all that anxiety you worked up in 2016 will melt away and the animals will capture your very fine compassionate human heart. Wait until you learn how the planet, your environment, and your health benefits from protecting farm animals. The news just gets better and better…

P.S. A special honorable mention to my favorite cartoonist Patrick McDonnel ( a fellow NJ citizen) creator of ‘Mutts’ and a tireless champion for all animals, not just cats and dogs. We have grown to love Mooch and Earl, who are really wonderful ambassadors for the animal kingdom. His fun and inspiring work can be found here…http://www.mutts.com/meet-the-cast

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Compassionate Passioneers

Below are a few of my favorites and you can also find an animal sanctuary in your area via this great organization CFEI http://www.compassionatefarming.org/sanctuaries.html

The Gentle Barn rescues animals from severe abuse and neglect who are too old, sick, lame, or scared to be adopted into homes. We are sanctuary to horses, donkeys, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, turkeys, chickens, llamas, peacocks, emus, cats and dogs. Once rehabilitated, the animals help us give hope and inspiration to children with the same stories.

Woodstock Farm Sanctuary is driven by the simple philosophy that kindness and respect to animals is our duty and that all the creatures that share this earth are here with us and not for us. Farm animals are feeling individuals who deserve to be treated with compassion.

We are a place where visitors can come face to face with the animals they may only know as dinner and learn about the devastating effects of modern-day agribusiness on the animals, the environment and human health. Here you can frolic with goats in a large open pasture, sit down with a pig who wants nothing more than a belly rub, cuddle with chickens who seek out your attention or get nuzzled by some very friendly sheep!

At the heart of our mission is the hands-on work of rescuing, rehabilitating and caring for farmed animal refugees — as well as educating the public about the typically horrific treatment of animals who are raised for food.

The Someone Project:Farm Animal Behavior, Emotion, and Intelligence

“Farm animals feel pleasure and sadness, excitement and resentment, depression, fear, and pain. They are far more aware and intelligent than we ever imagined…they are individuals in their own right.” — Jane Goodall

Farm Sanctuary was founded in 1986 when Farm Sanctuary President and Co-Founder Gene Baur rescued Hilda from a stockyard dead pile. Since that time, we’ve met, loved, and provided refuge for thousands of animals. Many people see two classes of animals: The animals with whom we share our homes, and everyone else. But other animals are not different in any way that matters morally from the dogs and cats with whom so many of us share our lives. At Farm Sanctuary, we share our lives with farm animals — chickens, turkeys, pigs, goats, sheep, ducks, geese, and cattle. And we can tell you from personal experience that farm animals have the same range of personalities and interests as cats and dogs.

We’re a hands-on animal sanctuary dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating and caring for animal refugees. We educate the general public about the horrific treatment of animals raised for food, and the positive impact that a plant-based diet can have on the environment and our health.

What is a Farm Sanctuary?A Farm Sanctuary is a place where animals who have been abused, neglected or abandoned in commercial farming institutions can live out their lives in a peaceful environment, where they are cherished and properly cared for. Animals in factory farms often collapse under the pressure of their failing health and agonizing living conditions. They do not receive medical attention because it is cheaper to let them slowly die. Those fortunate enough to enter a sanctuary can leave this nightmare behind. CFEI has unwavering gratitude towards these sanctuaries and the kind hearts that keep them operational and thriving. If you operate a sanctuary or know of one that is not listed here, please contact us to include yours in our directory. Thank you! Ever thought about starting a sactuary? Learn

Author Profile: Michael J. Breus, Ph.D.,is a Clinical Psychologist and both a Diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and a Fellow of The American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Dr. Breus has been featured on The Dr. Oz Show more than 30 times and writes regularly for The Huffington Post, The Dr. Oz Blog, and Psychology Today. He is the author of The Sleep Doctor’s Diet Plan and Beauty Sleep.

Lauroly Welcome: Thank you Dr. Breus for joining me here at World Wise Beauty. I am sure this is going to be one of the best read posts I’ve shared, because everyone seems to be chasing the elusive sound sleep these days. I found your introduction in the book to be very important, as it gives sleep the cultural and sociological context we need to understand. The fact is our lifestyles have drastically changed. You really present a case for understanding these culture shifts and it is clear that these advancements in our culture have affected our sleep rhythms. What I like about your book is you identify the sleep disruptions but also provide the solutions on a case by case bio-individual basis. You call this ‘chronobiology’. You explain a lot in your book, but let’s get started here with an overview of chronobiology. What does it mean and why does it matter? The title of your book ‘The Power of When’is perfect because you show us ‘why’ sleep matters in all aspects of our day.

[box] Dr. Breus:Chronobiology is the study of Chrono-rhythms. This is an active area of science and research where we look at the genetic chronobiology of certain types of individuals and then use our learnings to improve their lives and better understand our own! When you have a genetic propensity, and you do not follow it, your life is not only unproductive, but you use energy, regularly, when it is un-necessary. Going against your biology, is not only inefficient, but also foolish. Why wouldn’t you want to take advantage of your perfect time to do things? It just makes sense. Sleep is FUNDAMENTAL to our entire biology, psychology, and communication. If you start reviewing your health at this type of basic level, you will gain an insight that you otherwise would miss. And by the way, people have been missing this for YEARS. I did not make all this up, this is research that has been publicly available, but people have not put it all together in a cogent program, that everyone can follow. The Power of The Power of When, is that it is sooooo simple, to understand and to do. [/box]

Lauroly Q- I took all your tests and I seem to be a little of everything. Yet honestly I would say, if left to my own devices I would be a night owl. I don’t seem to be a lion, wolf or dolphin but certainly felt like a dolphin in stressful times and was a wolf as a teenager. Is there a continuum with chronotypes? Or is it fixed for life?

Dr. Breus:Yes, it is a continuum. We know that at certain ages we do live certain chronotypical lives. Teenagers are easy. They are mostly wolves. Remember when you were a teenager? You probably wanted to stay up late and sleep late. This is BIOLOGICALLY driven, it is not their fault. And guess what, it changes again when we get older. Personally I think it happens when our brains slow down on the production of melatonin. This will turn people into dolphins and lions as they age. Your chronorhythm seems to set at about age 20 and stays that way until age 55 or so.

Lauroly Q- Through your research, you havepinned down everything from the timing of sex, to practicing yoga, to having an important conversation with someone. It really is amazing and seems to make a lot of sense. It’s all about our rhythms. Is it ideally better to be a bear and in sync with the world?

Dr. Breus:Yes and No. Bears do have it the easiest, simply because as you noted society seems to favor their schedule, but they seem to also do a lot of things at the wrong time. Each Chronotype will get some big things out of the book, Lions will learn how to be more social in the evenings, Dolphins should have a schedule that makes them more productive, and Wolves will learn more about how to handle mornings. Is it better to be a Bear? I think most people have “Lion Envy” where they think they want to be something that they are not. Lions do not have it so great, trust me.

Lauroly Q- What is the one important sleep tip you would give to all the chronotypes?

Dr. Breus:Once you understand your sleep schedule it is best to stick to it. If you are a Lion during the week, be one on the weekends as well. I can’t stress this enough. While I know this seems simple, it cannot be more true. Consistency is the key to all of sleep and my program.

Lauroly Closing: Thank you for joining us Dr. Breus. It is amazing how much you have uncovered with your research. It gives us yet another prism in which to view our bodies as systems which need a lot of maintenance and care to operate and function optimally. Timing really is everything but I have to tell you…only the Lions love those early morning meetings!